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Dury Leads Cal to 5th Place at NCAA Championships

SUNRIVER, Ore. - No. 24 California recorded its best round of the tournament Friday to finish in fifth place at the NCAA Championships at the Meadows Course at the Sunriver Resort. The Golden Bears carded a score of six-over 290 and concluded the four-day event with a score of 44-over 1180. This Bears' finish comes on the heels of last year's program-best fourth-place showing at NCAAs.

'We're pleased with another top five finish,' Cal head coach Nancy McDaniel said. 'We're excited for Claire Dury who will be named an honorable mention All-American at tonight's banquet. There's no better way for her to go out as a senior. She had an opportunity to lead the team and did so when it counted most. We kept making steady progress all year. To be in the (national title) mix again was important.'

No. 1 Duke struggled in the final round but held on to win the 2005 national title by five strokes over No. 2 UCLA - last year's champion. The Blue Devils, who shot a 6-under 278 yesterday, posted a 13-over 297 today to finish at 34-over 1170. The Bruins fired a 293 Friday and a 72-hole score of 1175.

No. 3 Auburn took third at 1176, and No. 4 Pepperdine claimed fourth (1179) at the 24-team tournament. Cal joined Auburn and Pepperdine as the only schools to post four rounds below 300, giving the Bears seven straight rounds at NCAAs below 300 dating back to last season.

Led by senior Claire Dury, four of Cal's five golfers placed in the top 30. Dury tied for sixth at six-over 290 for her best result at the NCAA Championships. Dury birdied holes four, five and 11 and posted an even-par 71 for her best score of the tournament. The New Zealand national team player also led Cal at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in the fall (tied for 15th). Dury's sixth-place showing is her highest at Cal since she placed fourth at the 2003 NCAA Central Regional.

Cal junior Sophia Sheridan tied 10 other golfers, including ASU's Louise Stahle - the nation's No. 1 player - for 16th place at 296. Sheridan fired a three-over 74 and wrapped up the final 10 holes with a birdie on nine, a bogey on 16 and eight pars. Bears junior Sofie Andersson and freshman Enu Chung tied for 27th at 297. Andersson, a second team All-Pac-10 selection, shot a 73, including an even-par performance on the back nine with birdies on holes 10 and 17. Chung, who came to Cal as New Zealand's No. 1 amateur player, wrapped up her first NCAA Championships outing with a one-over 72 Friday, tallying pars on holes 9-17 before bogeying the 18th.

Duke's Anna Grzebien held on by one shot to grab the NCAA individual title over Virginia's Leah Wigger. Grzebien carded a two-over 286 after a 73 in the final round, while Wigger notched a two-under 69 today.